Report: Town hall repairs to top $1 million

By: Purvi Desai
   WASHINGTON — It will cost more than $1 million to remove mold and flooding problems in the municipal building, an engineer’s report released on Sept. 8 has estimated.
   As for future expansion needs, Mayor Dave Fried said Tuesday, "The $1 million will only make it dry and occupiable, but not deal with the lack of space and court problems. There was no point in me talking about how to do space renovation before I could determine how to keep the building dry."
   The engineering study, done by the Robbinsville firm Remington, Vernick and Arango, outlined problems in the building, which was emptied in October 2005, after a basement outbreak of mold.
   "Mechanical repairs to the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, which experienced chronic condensation leaks in the summer of 2005, account for nearly $645,000 of the estimated repair bill," a township press release said.
   Electrical repairs to the building will cost $70,000. Masonry and architectural repairs, which include installing a handicap bathroom, chimney repair, replacing basement carpeting, repairing drain pipes and sealing and repairing concrete flooring, will cost approximately $96,000, according to the engineer’s report.
   "The majority of the mechanical equipment serving the building is approaching the end of its useful life expectancy," the report stated, noting there were several leaking gutters that allow water to seep in. Moss and rust also were noticed.
   "I’ve always felt the municipal building was in a very bad way, since it has had years and years and years of Band-Aids," Mayor Fried said, referring to the past 20 years of the history of repairs to the building. "The engineers’ chief conclusion is that we must stop the piecemeal approach and consider the big picture."
   The 12,000-square-foot, single-story brick and masonry building has a finished basement and was built in 1929. It has since had various repairs and renovations. These include HVAC renovation in 1981, handicap accessibility additions and alterations in October 1991, HVAC renovations in 1993 for additions and alterations done in 1991, electrical renovations completed in 1994, and HVAC renovations again in October 1996, according to the engineer’s report.
   Mayor Fried said the township’s director of community development, Jack West, has started an analysis assessing future space needs and renovations needed for municipal staff. Those findings will be released at a public town hall meeting some time in October.
   "I wanted to handle it in a comprehensive fashion," he said, referring to the analysis, which comes one step after the engineer’s report. "The building obviously can’t be occupied until we get repairs. What I don’t want to do is spend money on repairs that will take us through the next 10 or 20 years only. We would have to renovate the court and put in security enforcement as necessary, and the bathrooms not ADA compliant."
   Since emptying out the building last year, the municipal offices moved to the Sharbell building at 1 Washington Blvd., where the town spent $359,174 to lease space for five years, according to the release. The finance and tax offices were consolidated in the former police substation at 1201 Washington Blvd. and a modular court facility costing $384,000 in trailer purchase, fit-out and security upgrades, was created, according to a township release.
   "It’s a lot of money and with the taxes being what they are and knowing the town could be facing the possibly of a new school, we have to be extremely careful," Mayor Fried said of the $1 million it may cost to repair the building.